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Easy way to track health care reform

Joan Michaels — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:55:11 +0000

It’s no easy task trying to keep up on the dueling proposals for health care reform. I like to go to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s “side-by-side” comparison tool of health care reform proposals. The tool lets one select a specific topic for comparison, such as individual mandate, insurance pooling or employer requirements. The health insurance landscape will be [...]

Will new mammogram guidelines change health insurance coverage?

Amy Danise — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:08:09 +0000

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has decided that mammograms aren’t all that preventive, especially for women under 50. Under new guidelines issued earlier this week, the task force said that mammograms needn’t be recommended for women ages 40 to 49 who are not high risk (i.e. having a history of breast cancer in their [...]

New York database will reveal secret health insurance charges

Jay Maxwell — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:30:05 +0000

Change is in the air for health insurance at the national level, but one state is not letting debate slow reform. In a monumental move, New York State Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo announced in late October the formation of a new not-for-profit company, FAIR Health, Inc., to provide independent data to guide “usual, customary, [...]

Protecting yourself from uninsured drivers

Ryan Hurlbert — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:17:54 +0000

Dust swirls, pain sears your neck, and your ears ring. Someone ran a red light, and you have been in a major collision. While your health and safety–and that of your passengers–is undoubtedly your main concern, your second thought may be: “I hope that driver has good car insurance!” Unfortunately, uninsured drivers are plentiful on American [...]

Squeeze the most from your health insurance

Joan Michaels — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:38:49 +0000

Many people don’t fully understand their health insurance benefits, according to a new survey from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). And this lack of understanding often leads people to pay more out of pocket for health care than they have to. For example, 61% of people say they understand their right to appeal a [...]

Evacuated? Don’t sleep on a cot

Amy Danise — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:18:10 +0000

As Hurricane Ida bears down on the Gulf Coast, it brings to mind the images of the streams of cars on the highways trying to leave evacuated areas. One thing that evacuees often don’t realize is that their home insurance can help them out in this situation: When there’s a mandatory evacuation, the “additional living expenses” [...]

Life insurance tip: Send in payment with application

Amy Danise — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:54:41 +0000

If you’re shopping for life insurance, here’s a good tip: Enclose a check for your premium payment with your application. Your life insurance coverage will then be in force from the day your application is received. This tip came to me from Brian Ashe at the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education. He explains that [...]

What’s dangerous in everyday life?

Kat Zeman — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:57:38 +0000

It appears to be a no-brainer. A shark is definitely deadlier than a bee, right? While a bee can sting you, the terrifying jaws of a shark can slice through your bones and eat you alive. Also, you can squash a little bitty bee with your newspaper, but you have little defense against a 20-foot [...]

Home insurance claims for swine flu? Not so fast

Amy Danise — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:17:54 +0000

An article last week in National Underwriter, an insurance trade publication, warned that home insurance companies should expect to be hit by a wave of liability claims from policyholders being sued over the swine flu. The thinking is that if you have a cocktail party and a guest contracts swine flu from your sick child, [...]

Attention germophobes!

Michelle Matlock — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:34:28 +0000

My former publisher is an unabashed mysophobe. This is someone who has a pathological fear of being contaminated by germs. He would come into work and immediately break out the Lysol wipes and clean everything on his desk and in his cubicle — every single day. When he would join employees for lunch at a [...]